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Friday, January 9, 2009

This week has been very difficult for us. I started the week out sick and the girls finished it sick. We tried to get all of our school work in but it didn't happen.

I don't often talk about home schooling my kids. I never know how to answer people who throw out questions or comments that aren't nice. I know everyone has an opinion and seldom is that opinion like mine.

Recently a woman that I know from town let me in on a secret. People in my neighborhood think I'm strange because I don't send my kids to a school. It apparently doesn't matter what kind of a school they would go to as long as they went to school. I'm sure they think I'm strange for other reasons also but she didn't go into that. I'm thankful that she didn't, my self confidence is at an all time low right now. Anyway she went on to say that it didn't bother her that I home school but others wondered if the girls were learning anything at all. I could feel the venom start to roll through my veins at that point. Damn. I was proud of myself. I stood there with, I'm sure, a dumb half smile on my face as she listed off my faults. Those girls don't get to play with other kids. They won't know how to interact with others. They will think they are better than others and I could keep going on. By the way, this was all going on at the library during a story time. (With other kids their age who like them brought in their book lists to get a prize.) I really wanted to scream at that women and just when I was about to get into a bout of fist a cuffs a scuffle ensued from the front room. Apparently a child spit on another child because he called her momma a bad name. The lady I was speaking to then turned to another and said, You know they come from the trailer park.

At that point I grabbed the kids and booked it for home. And on the way I waved and said hi to each and everyone we saw. I may be strange but at least I'm nice.

4 comments:

I stumbled across your blog after seeing it in the sidebar of CDW. May I just say I find your blog outrageously funny! I too homeschool my children.It just works for us. But, I too get a lot of strange looks and not so nice comments. ( I don't think many homeschool children would ever spit on another child...but I digress.) If you would like, you can use one of my favorite comebacks. I watched Point of No Return with Bridget Fonda a long time ago. And her "mentor" suggests(instead of cussing, etc.) when met with a jerk you should just simply smile and reply: "I never much minded the little things." Only you will know what you really mean is "piss-off" LOL! It always makes me feel better!

I think the biggest resistance to home schooling is the guilt people who don't do it are repressing.

I mean, you know what a living hell public school was for me. It was horrible. 3/4's of what I learned was of no use whatsoever, and was watered-down/incorrect. It's true that it only takes one really good teacher to make a difference. It's also true that it only takes one or two really horrible ones to really mess a kid up for life.

Let's see, send your kids to be raised by the kids of really screwed-up parents and teachers who have a 30+ to 1 student/teacher ratio, or teach them at home...

It's best to not get into it with people, because they really are just looking for you to react in a manner which they can turn around later and say "see, she's weird".

And as far as the kids possibly not knowing how to interact with people, I've chatted with them in instant messenger, and I often am surprised how polite, mature, and smart they are.

I am so sorry. People suck. I hate to say it, but some people in small towns just have small brains. I know too well having grown up in a town with 400 people. I'm sorry you had to be a victim of her ignorance.

People fear/ridicule what they don't understand - government run/mandated school is a relatively recent thing - before that EVERYONE was home schooled, or not at all. I cannot begin to tell you how very much I admire ANYONE who home schools. I think it takes a tremendous amount of courage and tenacity. Good on you for doing what you think is right rather than the easy go with the flow.

About Me

I'm Melissa, the one who spells things wrong even though I use spell check. ( I secretly pell things wrong now so my brother-in-law has something to talk to my husband about.) So stop on buy and I'll promise to drive you Krazy two!